You know, the existence of General Order 24, and the capability of Constitution class starships to lay waste to an entire planet call into question the whole "we're just peaceful explorers" mantra of Starfleet, doesn't it?

In the Memory Alpha article regarding General Orders, they add this note:

Garth may have explained the spirit of the order when he suggested he gave the order because, "I could say they were actively hostile towards the Federation".